Chris Cornell, one of the most lauded and respected contemporary lead singers in rock music with his bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, has hanged himself in a Detroit hotel room, according to the city's medical examiner.

He was at the age of 52.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office said it completed the preliminary autopsy on Cornell, but that "a full autopsy report has not yet been completed."

A police spokesman has told two Detroit newspapers that the singer was found with a band around his neck.

Cornell's death stunned his family and his die-hard fans, who Cornell just performed for hours earlier at a show in Detroit.

Soundgarden's current tour kicked off in late April and was planned to run through May 27.

He was found dead at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel by a family friend who went to his room after Cornell's wife asked him to check on the singer, police said.